murmurSendai Aoba Matsuri
Sendai City · Nishi Park, Jozenji-dori Avenue, Higashi-Nibancho and around central Sendai
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Sendai Aoba Matsuri Association · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- May 16–17, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- May 15–16, 2027
- Usual timing
- Usually mid May
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Held over a Saturday (eve festival) and Sunday (main festival) in May
- Venue
- Nishi Park, Jozenji-dori Avenue, Higashi-Nibancho and around central Sendai
- City
- Sendai City, Miyagi
About
Held over two days in May, when the zelkova trees lining Sendai's avenues are fresh and green, this is the city's great historical festival. Its roots go back to the Sendai Festival held under the Date clan in the Edo period, famous nationwide for its lavish yamaboko floats. On Saturday, the eve festival, Sendai Suzume Odori "sparrow dance" troupes perform along Jozenji-dori and in the shopping arcades as festival music fills the streets. Sunday's main festival brings the highlight: a grand historical procession with armored warriors led by a mounted Date Masamune, the portable shrine of Aoba Shrine (dedicated to Masamune), eleven ornate Sendai yamaboko floats and a mass sparrow-dance parade recreating the bustle of the old castle town.
Sources
- OfficialSendai Aoba Matsuri Association www.aoba-matsuri.com
- OfficialSendai Aoba Matsuri Association www.aoba-matsuri.com
- OfficialSendai Aoba Matsuri Association www.aoba-matsuri.com
Last checked: Oct 10, 2026. Event information is based on official announcements, but changes may not always be reflected here. Please check each official website for accurate details.
On the day, see what locals are murmuring on the murmur map
murmur is an app that shows short, anonymous posts on a map, right where they were written. On festival day, open the map around the venue and see what people nearby are saying.